In a devastating turn of events, a truck driver apparently distracted by his laptop ended up killing a family of six.
David and Michelle Statham and their four children were killed instantly in the crash.
Driving a 40 tonne vehicle, Portuguese truck driver Paulo Jorge Nogueira de Silva slammed into the Statham family on a motorway last October.
Seriously, phones, laptops absolutely any potentially distracting electronic object needs to be banned and made completely illegal. We’re all guilty of it but hopefully some little bit of good can come from this story and prevent future deaths from plain stupidity and ignorance.
No need for a specific law banning laptops for this. It’s already against the law. It’s called wreckless driving.
I doubt a law or a ban would’ve had any more effect.
Unfortunately we’ll always have idiots and having a ban for everything might make people feel better but won’t make any difference.
Agree with Anton.
However, I think it would be useful to have the opportunity to earn money by photographing people who break the law in this way. A £100 fine with £50 to the photographer would soon cure people of this murderous habit.
Like with visible speed cameras, if you know people are looking to catch you out, you learn not to ever get caught by not doing what you’re not supposed to do. I also think that (although probably impossible to enforce) being banned from owning a mobile phone or laptop would give people pause for thought.
so taking pictures with a camera is not as dangerous behind the wheel as working at your laptop behind the wheel? :-)
I’m not at all condoning use of laptops while driving, but for what it’s worth, in this particular UK situation, the trial is happening now (verdict not yet reached), and the accused has pleaded not-guilty, so maybe we should not jump to conclusions?
The truck driver insists he was not using/looking at his laptop at the time of the collision. Seems unlikely, but I’m just saying…
Othe advice for portugueses truck drivers: Do not talk portuguese near a truck. People will like to shame on you for no special reason.
This is not a joke. could be real.
As you see, I’m ahead of my time.
This is what you get from being a reckless driver. Getting yourself in big trouble and killing a family.